The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1887-01-28
Marrige in China
A MAN NEVER SEES HIS WIFE UNTIL lie Is
Welded TO HER.

"a Chinese love-letterl Have | an,
old-fasbioned Chinese love letters in
my trunk Have ] git-edged Chi.
nese billet-doux with monogram like
a crows track? There was never a
love-letter written in Chinese. No
Chinese maiden ever penned billet
doux or sent valentine
Rather sadly was this said by q
romantic young Chinaman, Mr.. Hong
Wing, who Is noted among the Chi
nese for the skill with which he pays
on the mandolin.
an China continued he, "a man
never sees his wife until he is welded
to her for life, and sometimes he does
not see her then, for she may refuse to
remove her veil until three days have
elapsed after the wedding. If he
dosn't like her he cannot get divorce,
but he may marry another wife, and
then another and another, until he has
gone through the bliudfold lott, ry
often enough to get one that suits him.
Some of these Chinese Cresuses have
hundreds of wives. There was an old
bachelor who took it into his head to
get married one winter, aud he married
200 wives before he got through. Tue
last wife is the favorite, but the first
one is the boss"
''1f man never sees his wife before
their wedding, how does he make love
to heri"
"He doesn't make love to her His
mother arranges the match, and his
future mother-in-law makes love to
him. 1t is sour courtsbip. Childrt n
are formally engaged to other children
that they have never seen at the tend
er age of 8 or 1O,and after an eng age
ment of ten or twelve years they get
married? p
"Does Chinaman. ever marry bis
cousin 7"
"No;a marriage of cousins was
never heard of in China. A man may
no more marry his cousin in China
than. in England man may marry his
deceased wile's sister. You talk about
your old families here, and your oldest
families are only five generations old.
In China families are seventy five and
eighty generations old, and every men,
Der has complete record of his an
oestors of all THESE generations. The
remotest kinship prevents marriages in
China, and if two families have the
faintest imaginable kinship seventy
five generations back the children can
not marry"
"What are the most common fami-
lies in your country''
1.-THE Chens, the Wougs and the
Lees. The Chens are the Smiths of
China, the Wongs are the Joneses, and
the Lees are the Browns. A Mr..
Chen would marry Miss Wong, but
he wouldn't marry Miss Chen. Per
haps that is the reason why the old
folks make the matches. 1t prevents
the Chens from falling in love with
one another"
care the Chinese ladies cultivated 7"
ooh, yes; they can read and write,
draw, paint and embroider. They
never 60 out on the street with their
husbands. If Chinese man and wo-
man were to walk on the street arm-in
arm in their country, as American men
and women do, they would be mobbed.
The women stay indoors. If they wish
to visit their mothers they take con-
veyances. Sometimes they may be
seen walking in the park with their
children"
"You are married?'
"Yes."
''To Chinese lady 7"
"No, to an American. came to
this country when a boy IL years old.
Though was 5000 miles from China
my mother betrothed me to little
Chinese girl l had never seen. NV
mother used to write to me how small
her feet were and how pretty she was,
and what beautiful cat-like nose she
had. When l was 20 years old moth
er sent me letter saying I was old
enough to get married, and must come
back to China and marry the girl"
"What did you think about it 7"
81 thought / was old enough, and
fell bead over cue in love with an
American girl in Nevada, and married
her. We had our pictures taken, and
sent one to my mother, together with
an account of the wedding which l
translated from an American news.
paper into Chinese"
"What happened 7"
"Ihe next thing l knew my uncle
and four cousins came on the United
States and had me arrested for bigamy.
! was taken before Court and tried.
My uncle went on the stand and swore
that had wife in China"
"What did you do then 7"
81 thought l was in box, as YOU
Americans say. The Judge asked the
witnesses how old was when left
China. They replied that my mother
had picked her out for me. and that,
in Chinese law. was the same as mar
riage. The Judge said that they
didn't have any Chinese statutes in
this country, and my uncle innocently
replied that he wonld send to China
for some. Every body in the Court
laughed, and, as had lived in the
town ever since l came to Ameriaa, all
knew that had left China little boy,
so the jury acquitted me. My uncle
told the Judge that he would be be-
headed when he went back to China,
which was monstrous fib with which
he intended to scare the Judge. /
have never been back to China, and
suppose the little girl whom I never